[mynameisalantang]

Hi everyone, I just wanted to learn a good fingering, and if needed, embouchure for altissimo g. I have a playing test on the 2 octave b flat scale and wanted to finish it off.

What I have right now is a
Yamaha YAS-62
Selmer C Star
and normal Vandoren 3's.

Thank you

 

[evan1]

Check this post out. You will find fingerings in the links:

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?129993-GREAT-Quarter-Tone-Fingering-Chart

 

[Grumps]

A more open mouthpiece would be helpful. Quit using the high F# key for F#3 would be even more useful. Learning to blow an altissimo F#3 is a bridge to learning the more difficult notes above it. Also, all the fingering charts in the world will be of no use unless you learn how to blow an altissimo note. You need to squeeze the air flow a bit by raising the back of your tongue towards the roof of your mouth. First try an altissimo F#3 by blowing this way and by fingering octave, front F, right hand 1 (F) and side Bb. Try doing an arpeggio starting at F#2 to get up there and find your voicing. If you can hit F#3 this way, simply release right hand 1 (F) and see if that gets you a G3.

 

[DrWill]

I'm just getting the altissimo bug, and for my tenor sax the lh 1-3 rh 1-3 side C gives a clear altissimo G. Now, if that fingering doesn't suit you, there is a chart at ...

http://www.wfg.woodwind.org/sax/sax_alt_1.html

that has about 20 fingerings for high G.

Also, I'm doing the overtone series. I haven't done it yet but there are YouTube vids of demos of the overtone series to download and play along with. Clearly the OS is invaluable for altissimo .... and surprise, I can actually play a low Bb on my leaky (I have always assumed) tenor.

 

[Sax411]

First and third finger in the LH, First and third finger in the RH and the alternate C key. I agree, Overtone Series is definitely the key here.

 

[Ed Geddes]

I found that I could do real altissimo above F#3 only after I could do the first 3 overtones on C# and below, that's 4 notes in each sequence.

 

[SAXISMYAXE]

Administrator note!

Posted in wrong sub forum. Moved.

 

[unbalancedaction]

For alto, there are two major ways of playing it. Grumps is right, figure out f# first as it really helps.

The old school cats like Bird and Stitt used to play it with 1+3 (B, G) in the left hand, and f (1) and side Bb. With this wacky method, g# is played by moving from side Bb to side C. It gets the notes out but it's pretty dicey in fast passages etc., which is why those guys never really approached the high G from a half step or whole step.

I learned this next one watching Dave Binney play.

If F# is lhs Fork key, lhs C, side Bb on the rhs - you lift up the lhs C and slam down the rhs f. For g# you then just lift up the rhs f so that it's just the lhs fork key and side Bb. From then on up, you use your left hand a and c for a, and then 6ths to D, and 8ths above that. Overtones and long tones make this stuff possible. Without the work, you will be searching for a different mouthpiece and will never get the right sound. Good luck!!!

 

[RootyTootoot]

I found that I could do real altissimo above F#3 only after I could do the first 3 overtones on C# and below, that's 4 notes in each sequence.

I think that's it. I would think your setup is fine for that, OP. Then experiment with fingerings.

 

[awholley]

I would play it this way:

Palm D as normal

Then Front E (like G on top of staff, but use front F key for first finger; the X in parentheses means that the Front F causes this key to be closed anyway)

F
(X)
X
X
-----
0
0
0

Then F# using the front F key (basically the same as side Bb, but using the front F key)

F
(X)
X
0
-------
0 +Side Bb
0
0

Then G...

F
(X)
0
0
_______
X +Side Bb
0
0

 

[skeller047]

The reason there are 20 fingerings given for this note is that there is no good fingering. Most of them work... but you have to hear the note and have experience with it before you play it, or it will squeak or make some weird multiphonic sound.

As others have said, working on overtones fingering the bottom 4 notes (Bb- Db) is the key to altissimo.

 

[saxpiece]

Probably the 2 most common Altissimo G fingerings on Alto are


X
0
X
_______
X +Side Bb
0
0

and

F
(X)
0
0
_______
X +Side Bb
0
0

The Front F based G Altissimo fingering blends in with the other Front F based Altissimo fingerings very well for speed

F:

F
(X)
X
0
_______
0
0
0

F#:

F
(X)
X
0
_______
0 +Side Bb
0
0

G:

F
(X)
0
0
_______
X +Side Bb
0
0


Ab:

F
(X)
0
0
_______
0 +Side Bb
0
0


then onto A and Bb

A:

0
X
X
_______
0
0
0

Bb:

0
0
X
_______
0
0
0

then onto B,C,C# and D

B:

Palm D
0
0
0
_______
0
0
0

C:

Palm D & Eb
0
0
0
_______
0
0
0

C#:

Palm D & Eb
0
0
0
_______
0 +Side E
0
0

D:

Palm D & Eb & F
0
0
0
_______
0 +Side E
0
0

and onto Eb (same as the Bb fingering but it's a higher overtone)

Eb:

0
0
X
_______
0
0
0

and then onto E,F,F# and G (same as B,C,C# and D fingerings but higher overtones)

E:

Palm D
0
0
0
_______
0
0
0

F:

Palm D & Eb
0
0
0
_______
0
0
0

F#:

Palm D & Eb
0
0
0
_______
0 +Side E
0
0

G:

Palm D & Eb & F
0
0
0
_______
0 +Side E
0
0


So from Altissimo F# to over an octave higher Altissimo G can be done by just basically using Front F based fingerings and Palm key fingerings if someone knows how to voice them, and these fingerings can be played fast.